05/22/2025

DrB1414
248 Reviews

DrB1414
Helpful Review
4
The "Butch" Peau D'Espagne
A caveat. My review is based on an older, frosted bottle, hence, it might not smell like the ones Santa Maria Novella is selling today.
This perfume is a tour-de-force on smoky birchwood and "leather" accord built around that and other materials (perhaps some animalics), with prominent flint-like/metallic and ashy nuances. I detect a quick burst of citrus and herbs in the opening for a couple of minutes, after which it goes dark and medieval with no return or glimmers of light. To my nose, no florals or resins to pamper the composition. Nada. It is heavy, smoky, and woody, with that ashy, cold metal feel and brown leather accord holding through the dry-down. I also don't get the civet, although it is listed, yet I'm sure they use some musks to create the leather sensation. This is a butch leather perfume that smells very ancient and medieval. I think of a massive fireplace with logs of birchwood fueling the fire that helps dry some leather garments resting on the cold stone pavement of the hall nearby. Some armory sits close since I can't shake the metallic and flint-like smell out of my mind. The perfume smells like it was put together at the beginning of the apothecary that Santa Maria Novella was centuries ago. I'm also impressed with the quality of the materials in this perfume. I can tell they are using a few, but very high-quality raw materials. I don't think I have smelled a better note of birchwood in a perfume before. I can almost see and feel the wood and its texture with my nose.
In a nutshell, this is a beautiful smoky-leather perfume, grandiose in its butch and rough representation, although not exactly what I have in mind when I think of a proper "Peau D'Espagne" accord. But if you want a trip back in time, centuries ago, this one is very much worth the journey.
IG:@memory.of.scents
This perfume is a tour-de-force on smoky birchwood and "leather" accord built around that and other materials (perhaps some animalics), with prominent flint-like/metallic and ashy nuances. I detect a quick burst of citrus and herbs in the opening for a couple of minutes, after which it goes dark and medieval with no return or glimmers of light. To my nose, no florals or resins to pamper the composition. Nada. It is heavy, smoky, and woody, with that ashy, cold metal feel and brown leather accord holding through the dry-down. I also don't get the civet, although it is listed, yet I'm sure they use some musks to create the leather sensation. This is a butch leather perfume that smells very ancient and medieval. I think of a massive fireplace with logs of birchwood fueling the fire that helps dry some leather garments resting on the cold stone pavement of the hall nearby. Some armory sits close since I can't shake the metallic and flint-like smell out of my mind. The perfume smells like it was put together at the beginning of the apothecary that Santa Maria Novella was centuries ago. I'm also impressed with the quality of the materials in this perfume. I can tell they are using a few, but very high-quality raw materials. I don't think I have smelled a better note of birchwood in a perfume before. I can almost see and feel the wood and its texture with my nose.
In a nutshell, this is a beautiful smoky-leather perfume, grandiose in its butch and rough representation, although not exactly what I have in mind when I think of a proper "Peau D'Espagne" accord. But if you want a trip back in time, centuries ago, this one is very much worth the journey.
IG:@memory.of.scents